Corridor Rhine-Alpine

The railroad is an essential transportation system in Europe. In Germany, Deutsche Bahn operates an
 expanded rail network for this purpose. An important lifeline of the European transportation network is the Rhine-Alpine corridor. As a central north-south axis, its tracks and routes connect seaports and economic areas from the North Sea to the Mediterranean. The German section covers around 1,600 kilometers of track and is a pioneering project of the Digitale Schiene Deutschland. In order to be able to cross national borders unhindered, the monitoring of train traffic must be converted to transnational
technology standards. This is known as interoperability. At present, European railroad companies still use different train control and safety systems. In order to unify this, it was decided to introduce a uniform standard for the European rail network: the so-called European Train Control System, or ETCS for short. ETCS is the common interoperable standard for the European rail network. With ETCS level 2, signal boxes, route control centers and trains can communicate with each other continuously via radio. This is the beginning for more capacity, future operation without signals, and further innovations of 
Digitale Schiene Deutschland. So-called balises are installed in the tracks. These are information points through which, for example, the position and speed of the trains are transmitted to the trackside control centers. On the rails of the corridor Rhine-Alpine Deutsche Bahn is introducing step by step ETCS level 2. Between Oberhausen, Aachen and Basel the planning and equipping run at full speed. In the ETCS-project Corridor Rhine-Alpine, more than 120 employees are implementing numerous individual measures in three sub-projects. Another team takes care of ensuring commissioning. The tasks and challenges are diverse. Deutsche Bahn is doing pioneering work in many areas. At the end of 2022, in Darmstadt-Eberstadt on the northern Bergstrasse, the first ETCS route control center on the corridor Rhine-Alpine was put into operation, as planned, with a 30 km long route section. The commissioning of several electronic interlockings and further rail sections with ETCS will take place successively over the next few years. In future, the new strategy of Digitale Schiene Deutschland will take effect, meaning the replacement of old interlockings with new technology and operating locations. ETCS will then be introduced across Germany on this basis. Spatial expansion, high route utilization
and the integration of existing technology turn the ETCS-project corridor Rhine-Alpine into a complex challenge. While we are already implementing the project on the corridor Rhine-Alpine, the technical standards are constantly being developed further. New versions have to be integrated as quickly and smoothly as possible. The routes are being equipped in coordination with the Federal Railway Authority, the Federal Ministry of Transport and the EU, which sets out the central development plan.  All of this requires comprehensive coordination at national and European level. On the way from the initial planning to commissioning, complex developments, construction measures and numerous approvals are necessary. All of these tasks are accomplished with great commitment by the employees. Digital technology will make Deutsche Bahn's operations more efficient, more powerful and more reliable. ETCS is therefore making a significant contribution to the modernization and thus to the future viability of European rail transport.